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Justice News

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney’s Office

District of Maryland

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Baltimore Man Exiled to over 11 Years in Prison on Drug Charges

Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Tracey Betters, age 21, of Baltimore, Maryland, today to 135 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Steven L. Gerido of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Baltimore Field Division; Baltimore City State’s Attorney Gregg L. Bernstein; Commissioner Anthony W. Batts of the Baltimore Police Department; and Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler.

According to their plea agreements, in May 2012, Tracey Betters, his brother Blake Betters, and Brandon Harris, were introduced to an undercover Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) agent who proposed robbing a large scale drug trafficker of multiple kilograms of narcotics. The Betters brothers and Harris agreed to commit the robbery and to resell the stolen narcotics to customers in the Baltimore area.

On June 14, 2012, Tracey and Blake Betters, Harris and three co-conspirators met with the undercover agent to make their final preparations to commit the robbery. Tracey and Blake Betters, Harris and their co-conspirators were armed, and they all expected the weapons to be used to commit the robbery. After confirming that they were ready to rob the stash house, the Betters’, Harris and their co-conspirators followed the agent to a location in Baltimore where they believed they would be given the location of the robbery. En route to the final meeting location, Tracey Betters and his co-conspirators discussed their willingness to kill the stash house guards as well as the undercover agent, who they planned to rob of his share of the stolen cocaine. As the arrest team approached, the Betters and Harris fled, but were quickly apprehended and arrested.

Co-defendants Blake Betters, age 23, and Brandon Harris, age 22, both of Baltimore were each previously sentenced to 10 years in prison for their roles in the conspiracy.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the ATF, Baltimore Police Department and Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in this investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Clinton J. Fuchs and Special Assistant United States Attorney Gerald A. A. Collins, a cross designated Maryland Assistant Attorney General assigned to Exile cases, who prosecuted the case.